Just You and Me
by Elillierose
Summary: Finally able to see chocobos for the first time, Prompto is more than a little eager to finally get his hands on one. But, spooked birds end in nothing but disaster.


**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting**

 **So, I recently did a poll on my tumblr about what story people wanted more, one about a snowmobile accident, or the chocobo accident. The votes were pretty split with the other one having won by one. And, I recently hit 200 followers, so as a thank you, I've decided to go and do both since they both seemed equally wanted. C:**

 **Plus, I would have felt bad doing this one alone when just as many wanted the other one. ;w;**

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"I can smell them already," Prompto drawled on dreamily, eyes closed in reverie as wafts of the stale scent reached his nose. "Beautiful chocobos," he added, dropping himself back in his seat as they approached the ranch, a few 'squawks' reached them as they pulled to a stop. The blond was practically bouncing on the spot, excitement pumping through his veins. To think, he'd actually get to see chocobos up close and personal. "Think we'll be allowed to ride them?" he asked, his enthusiasm clear in his tone.

Gladio scoffed in the back, finding amusement in the gunner's pure innocence. "Who knows, once they get a look at ya, they may just file a restraining order." He chuckled at the offended glance he received for that statement.

Ignoring the playful bickering around him, the adviser pulled to a stop, sighing in relief as he turned the engine off and leaned back. "Well, here we are," he announced, pushing his door open. He stretched out his back, taking a moment to get the blood flowing back. Of course, a certain someone had other plans, not waiting for the others before going on ahead, humming to himself as he went.

"Sure doesn't take much to make him happy," Noctis breathed out, folding his arms and watching the blond's distancing back. "Better go after him before he gets lost...or kidnaps a few of the birds." The second part was under his breath, but it was easily picked up by the other two. By the time the three of them caught up, Prompto already had his hands on one of the golden creatures, stroking the side of its neck as it squeed with delight.

"Think this one likes me," he commented, joy glistening in his eyes.

Ignis glanced over, then to the one closest to him as it nudged his arm, urging him for a pet as well. "They're certainly raised to be a friendly bunch," he agreed, giving in and providing the bird with the attention it desired.

"That's just how we do things around here," the owner spoke up, strolling over with a proud expression on his features. "Treat 'em right, and they'll return the favor." He stepped over next to the blond to stroke the side of the chocobo's face, chuckling softly to himself when it leaned into it, relishing in the touch. "This one 'ere we've had ever since he was a chick. Rescued the little rascal from the wild; he wasn't always this friendly though."

Prompto listened intently, a mask of awe slipping over his face. "Guess all he needed was a bit of love and care then," he sighed, placing his hand on its beak now, the creature responding by closing its eyes and pushing against his palm. "Are all of them the same, rescues, I mean?" he asked, genuinely intrigued by all this.

"Not all of 'em, some were born and raised 'ere," he said, gesturing to the few towards the end. "But, a good bit of 'em, yeah.

Ignis cleared his throat now, drawing in the older man's attention so he could cut to the chase. "Yes, well, we came be here in hopes of renting a few. We have matters to attend to, and getting there on foot would be quite the hassle," he requested, pushing up his glasses in his usual classy manner.

Wiz blinked a few times before the inquiry processed and he folded his arms over his chest. "Well, that is how we make a profit around here," he shrugged. "All of these lined up here are the ones available for rentin', all of them have been properly tamed and trained for it. Just pick out the ones you want, and I'll bring out the paperwork for 'em."

"Paperwork?" Noctis asked, eyebrow raised. He didn't expect that sort of thing in a place like this.

"Of course, you don't think I'm just gonna send my livelihood out there without some precautionary measures. It's not exactly the safest out there, and I want to make sure my birds are well taken care of." He nodded to each of them with a tight expression and turned on his heel, leaving the four of them to themselves.

Prompto's attention was instantly back on the chocobo before him. "I call dibs on this one," he spoke up, not giving the others a chance to say anything. "What do ya say, fella, feel like being my riding partner for the day?" he asked, patting it on the head. "I promise to take good care of you."

It didn't take long for the others to pick theirs out as well, just picking them out at random. To be fair, they couldn't see much of a difference between the lot of them. They were all the same shade of gold, and had the same lushness in their feathers. All four of them stamped in place, almost as if they knew about the fact that they were getting the chance to run around in the wild again, no longer confined to their stables.

"Alright, here we are," Wiz announced, waving the papers as he approached. He went over, filling in the names of the chosen birds as well as their condition before handing them over for them to sign. "I'll just hold on to these, and I'll need the payment in advance," he gave them a small smile as he retrieved the forms back.

"I'll handle the payment," Ignis informed, digging in his pocket as he strolled over. Once all the necessary arrangements were in order, Wiz filled them in a bit on the proper care of them and the basics needs, as well as how to ride them. "If everything is in order, then feel free to go on your way. 'Ave any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

The brunet gave the man a curt nod, "Thank you, but I believe we have it from here. And not to worry, your birds will be well taken care of."

"Yup, not a thing to worry about," Prompto eagerly backed up, more than ready to get going. He readjusted himself on the back of his ride and give it a reassuring pet, causing it to tap its feet on the spot.

"Is everyone ready?" Ignis asked, taking the lead and waiting for all the nods to commence before he set the pace, the others easily falling behind him. So far, they were a lot easier to ride and control than how it appeared to be. For skittish animal, they were actually rather calm as they trotted along. Every now and then they would give a little jerk or two, but other than that, they were pretty smooth.

Not to mention, they traversed through the terrain as if it was nothing, almost like it wasn't abundant with foliage and boulders; never once did they stumble. Once a few hours passed, the brunet slowed them down, beckoning them to proceed farther with caution. "There's something out there," he warned, voice hushed as his eyes stared intently through the thickets. "I suggest we find another way, I don't wish to risk potential danger if it can be avoided."

"What is it?" Gladio asked, strolling next to the adviser and squinting his eyes. "I don't see anything."

Before Ignis had the chance to say anything, a few of their chocobos took a step back, refusing to budge and go forward another step. "If their reaction has anything to do with it, then I'm with Ignis on this one," the blond muttered, suddenly uneasy from the bird's unsettlement.

"There should be another way around," Ignis mumbled to himself, urging his mount to change course, which it did with pleasure. Whatever was around there, they clearly wanted nothing to do with it. Perhaps it was best to trust the intuition of them. "Follow me," he waved the others along, keeping the pace at a near crawl as he went, not wanting to alert whatever it was that was around there.

"Easy does it," Prompto encouraged when his chocobo let out a small squeak, its head whipping around in paranoia, barely paying attention to its current surroundings. A couple of times, it jerked around, small noises startling it. "It's alright," he kept talking soothingly to it, hoping his voice would appease it to some degree. But, it did little to help, the bird continued its fear-driven searches.

The shield glanced over his shoulder when another squawk reached his ears. "Everything alright back there?" he asked with a slight scoff, finding slight humor on the gunner's struggles with his choice.

"Everything is hunky dory," he replied, taking his left hand away long enough to give a thumbs up. As he did so, his bird bucked slightly, forcing him to cling back on as his face was forced against the back of its neck. "A little bumpy…" he added shakily.

Gladio rolled his eyes with an amused grin on his face. "Where did all the excitement go from earlier?" he questioned rhetorically. "Not so into it now, are we?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Prompto replied. "I'm having the time of my life." He confidently sat up a little bit more, putting forth a facade of courage as he straightened up and urged his chocobo to trot up next to the brute. "In fact, what do ya say to a little race? That is of course, unless you're afraid you'll lose," he challenged.

From the front, Ignis exhaled in exasperation. "Can the two of you please restrain yourselves. We're not out here to play games," he reminded, voice the definition of authority. "And you heard Wiz, there are dangerous creatures out here, we must travel with caution." He turned just far enough to give the both of them a look of warning.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Prompto replied, only slightly disappointed, but he could understand the strictness of the demand. "Maybe another time then."

"I'll remember that," Gladio nodded, accepting the challenge. Once more, they fell into a comfortable silence, aside from the occasional casual conversation. They only slowed down when again, the chocobos became antsy, uncertain of going much farther. This time, however, it was clear to all of them when the issue was; the path ahead became treacherous, steep declines on one side of the path, a rock wall on the other. But, it would be getting late soon, and back tracking for a second time was sure to take too much time. There wasn't much choice in the matter, they had to push forward.

Taking a deep breath, Ignis continued in the lead, easing his bird along and letting it go at its own pace, never once beckoning it to go faster than it was comfortable with. "Everyone, proceed with caution," he called back, voice unnatural tight with nerves. One wrong step… But, he trusted them, if anyone or anything could get through here safely, it would be the creatures that naturally roamed here.

Next was Noctis, who like Ignis, made it over relatively easily, albeit a tad slower than the former. Then Gladio, unlike the other two, made it across like it was a piece of cake, his bird having no issue in making it. It was as the two of them shared a mind, it was quite a sight to behold. And last, was Prompto, swallowing thickly as he gazed on either side of the path, his heart fluttering in his chest. "You got this," he told his chocobo and himself quietly, taking in a deep and steadying breath.

"You coming or what?" the shield called over impatiently.

"Yeah, just a sec…" the blond replied, exhaling heavily and finally giving his bird a slight nudge in the side. "One step after another, that's it, take your time," he soothed, stroking its neck the whole time to keep it as calm as possible. They made it about halfway before it bucked, one step causing a loose rock to tumble away. Prompto let out an involuntary gasp, his arms instantly hugging around the creature's neck in a desperate attempt not to be thrown off.

There was a collective gasp on the other side as the two of them regained their balance, followed closely by a sigh of relief. "Prompto, be careful," Noctis uttered softly, knowing for a fact it wasn't heard by the other. He closed his eyes for a couple seconds in order not to let it get to him too much, but they snapped right back open when a guttural cry pierced right through the lot of them.

"What the…" Prompto whispered, just a moment before his chocobo lost all control, its reaction to the menacing howl setting it off into a state of pure survival fear. With nothing better to do, the blond clung to it as it turned on the spot, planning on running in the opposite direction. Unlike the others, this one was practically cornered with no other way to go. It wasn't long before it lost its footing, it's right slipping off the ledge. And, with that, there was nothing that could be done.

One second, he was upright, and the next he was falling, body suspended as calls of his name and the dismayed cries of his chocobo swirled around him. He reached out for anything he could grab a hold of, but everything was spinning too fast and everything was immediately torn away from his grasp, raking against his hands with every attempt. His bird had been pulled away long ago, and he had no idea where it was. Hell, he had no idea where anything was anymore, all he was aware of was the fact that he still hadn't stopped.

His mind was racing, body aching from colliding with various protrusions. The breath was knocked from his lungs, making the whole ordeal last even longer. A couple more feet of tumbling and a strange and agonizing sensation erupted in his left arm, and the continuous falling did no favors. By the time he finally came to a stop, he couldn't move, he couldn't process what happened. Everything hurt and he struggled to draw in a breath from his abused torso.

He released a shuddering breath, the pain in his arm intensifying now that his world wasn't a disoriented mess. With a groan, the blond pushed himself up on one arm, hissing in pain when the other was jostled. "Dammit," he grit out, pulling the appendage in close to his chest. The man glanced down, cringing at the slight deformity in it; it wasn't too noticeable, but it was enough to cause his stomach to churn. And, once he laid his eyes on it, the severe pain really hit, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut against the waves.

Sitting the rest of the way up, he cradled the limb with his good one, whimpering as he held it close and worked his way to his feet. He stumbled a bit before catching himself and standing steadily. His exhales came out shuddery and shallow, trying to breathe through the currents of fire.

Then it occurred to him, and he wanted to slap himself for taking this long. If he remembered correctly, he still had a potion on him...somewhere. Free hand searching for it, his attention jerked over at a new cry, one in absolute torture, and he was easily able to pinpoint exactly what it was. Fingers just tracing over the surface of the vial, he chewed on his bottom lip and followed the incessant squawking until he stumbled upon the writhing form of his chocobo.

"H-Hey there, fella," he muttered, slowly approaching it as it stared at him in obvious terror. "It's alright, I'm not gonna...hurt you," he promised when it tried to get away, failing miserably in its attempts. Noticing this, Prompto looked the bird over, instantly finding the what was ailing the poor thing.

The blond crouched next to it, arm still against his chest, to get a better look at its leg, which was drawn in protectively and had a few ugly scrapes on it. There was no telling what all was going on under the surface of the leg.

It didn't take much debating for him to finally retrieve the potion. "Don't worry, we'll get you all fixed up," he assured. Taking one glance at the potion, he pressed it against the injured limb until it shattered and surrounded it in a light green hue, the chocobo flinched and squeaked against the warm and stinging sensation, but after a few seconds, it calmed back down. Curious, it moved it, giving it a bit of a test before attempting to stand.

"There you go," he encouraged when it was finally upright. "That better?" Of course it was; he smiled to himself when all cries of distress died out and it took a few confident steps without so much as a limp or a falter. "Now, we just gotta find a way back up," he muttered, glancing back from where he came and groaning at just how impossible it appeared.

As he stared up, in the distance, he could make out the same howl from earlier. Whatever it was that spooked them was still up there, probably being dealt with by the others. He just prayed it was something that they could handle. "What do you say to getting out of here?" he asked, slowly approaching the chocobo to lay his hand on the side of its neck. Glancing down at his own damaged limb, he sighed. Guess he was stuck walking as well, no way he could mount the thing with one arm.

Each step was torture, every footfall sending light vibrations through him that rustled his injury and elicited a few whimpers and hisses. After a few minutes, he checked it again, biting the inside of his cheek at the purple that blossomed over his pale skin, contrasting highly with it. And of that wasn't bad enough, even he could notice the swelling in. He breathed out heavily through his nose and tried to block out the pain, wanting to forget it was even there.

"Just think it away," he told himself, hands practically shaking, the pain growing so mad that it was teetering on the edge of being numb. He'd just have to push through it and tolerate it until he was back with the others, he had no other choice. "How you holdin' up?" he asked, casting his temporary companion a swift glance. The other simply looked his way and tilted his head. "Well, at least you're fine," he sighed, glancing at its leg, finding it still alright.

He knew he wasn't walking for too long, but damn if it didn't grate on him as if it was for hours. Everything still ached to one degree or another, and he was starting to feel thirsty and exhausted. Then abruptly, he halted, groaning to himself for having been so daft to have forgotten the fact that he had a phone. Fishing it out, he pulled up Noctis' number, which took a bit longer than normal, and called. It rang a few times before he heard the click of someone answering, but the voice was broken up and static-y, not forming any coherent words.

"Noct? Hello? Are you there?" Still nothing, more dismember tones, and then a straight beep, effectively cutting him off. "Shit!" he swore under his breath, shaking the device in frustration. "Come on, you piece of…" he grit his teeth and stuffed it back away with a growl.

Taking in a calming breath, he stroked the side of the chocobo. "Guess it's just you and me for a while," he mumbled, leaning his head over to rest on its back as they walked. The bird just squawked in response. They strolled on for a little longer, the young man jumping when his phone rang in his pocket, catching him off guard. He eagerly answered it, "Noct?!"

"Promp-o!" the reply came, slightly robotic and only a little choppy. Figuring this was the best reception he'd be receiving, he remained where he was, not daring to move a single inch. "Are -ou al-ght?"

It was butchered, but he was sure he heard well enough and could put the pieces together. "Yeah, well, mostly," he answered, cutting his eyes downward and gave a nervous chuckle. "Could be better though."

"Don'- move, st-y exa-ly where yo- are," Prompto nodded along, despite no one being able to witness the gesture. "We're comi- to look for y-u," he finished off right before the line cut out again, leaving the blond with that same dreary flatline.

'Ok,' he mouthed, clicking it back up and returning it to his pocket. All he had to do was hunker down and wait for them to find him; that was easier than endlessly searching...or in his head it was more ideal. "What do you say to a break?" he asked the chocobo, clicking his tongue for it to trot back over. "That's it, it's fine to take it easy for a while," he said, carefully lowering himself down, using a nearby tree to lean against. He let out a soft sigh as he relaxed against it, his arm now resting in his lap and positively on fire.

There was some ruffling next to him as the creature curled up a few feet away, falling asleep within a few seconds. He smiled to himself at the sight, guess he was just as exhausted as he was. The gunner yawned and stretched his good arm upward. If it weren't for the fact that he was basically alone out in the middle of nowhere, and the constant agony, he'd probably be able to take a nap as well.

"I hope you realize how lucky you are," he muttered, glancing over to the bird a few times with a lack of anything else to do. "Get to sleep whenever you want, don't have to worry about a thing or have a care in the world. Must be nice." He took a deep breath and tilted his head back, allowing his eyes to slide shut, which swiftly scrunched with the discomfort. "Dammit, this hurts," he complained, his free hand reaching over his arm to cradle it once more.

Prompto desperately hoped at least one of them would have something on them for this. Of course, he didn't regret using his only one on the chocobo, but he did wish it didn't have to come to that. He hissed through clenched teeth, and swiftly fell into a hum, humming to himself, the chocobo song, as a distraction. Each note was an octave higher than usual, but it helped take his mind off things.

He kept this up for at least an hour, the repetitive tune even starting to grate on his nerves after singing it for so long. It grew quiet and almost inaudible, his throat drying more and more by the second. It slowed down until he drew in sharply and released it shakily. "Please hurry up," he mumbled, cracking his eyes open. He glanced around, finding everything exactly how he had left it, aside from a slight change in lighting.

The blond scooted himself farther up the trunk of the tree, noticing that he slid down a good bit since sitting there. The moment he shifted, he had to bite his lip to keep from whimpering. Staying still for so long did no favors for his injury, and glancing down, he drew in another sharp breath. The blotches on it had darkened considerably, and if possible, it was more swollen than before. If there were any doubts before about it being broken, they were definitely gone by now.

His ears perked up at a distant voice, it was pretty far, but he was pretty sure it was there. Wasting no time, he called back, voice a bit hoarse from using it for an extended period of time. "Hey!" he yelled as loudly as he could, already working his way to his feet.

"-ompto!" he caught the end of his name, and he knew it was them.

"Come on buddy, we're getting out of here," he announced, enthusiasm in his voice for the first time after hours. "Time to go, get up," he urged, strolling over and prodding it lightly. Slowly, it complied, taking its precious time. "Don't worry, not in a hurry or anything."

All at once, the chocobo jumped up, its head jerking one direction where it watched intently, cautiously taking a few steps back. "What's wron-" a snarl cut him off and he spun around, his breath getting caught in his throat when he was met with a pair of blood-thirsty eyes. A ghost of an exhale shuddered out, and he, too, took a step back, his gun appearing in his hand in an instant. There was zero hesitation, he fired a few shots at the predator, getting that satisfying cry as they hit.

"Let's go!" he commanded, grabbing the reigns and tugging the bird along; it didn't take long for it to fall into step next to him, having the exact same plan as the blond. He didn't need to glance behind him to know it was already catching up, he could practically feel its teeth sinking into the back of his calf.

Seeing it quickly gaining in them, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was about to do. He would have much rather avoided doing this, but it was that or get eaten alive. And, he much preferred putting himself through a bit more suffering than that. Taking a deep breath and holding it, he tightened his grip on the reigns and wrapped his arm around its neck. It took some maneuvering, and more bumps to his maimed appendage than he would have cared for, but he made it on the creatures back, bursts of colors spreading across his vision.

"Don't pass out," he begged himself, burying his face in the back of the bird's neck, willing it all to go away. He took deep and steady breaths as the breeze ruffled his hair, the scent of stale livestock filled his nostrils.

As they traveled, the flares never subsided, they never had the chance to from the constant rough bouncing around. But, that didn't matter, he could tolerate it if it meant they got to live. He had no idea how long they went on for either, everything was blocked out, walled off from the pain and desperation.

"Hey!" he barely heard the voice, his ears ringing, preventing from things coming through clearly. "Prompto! Can you hear me?"

"I'm not deaf," he mumbled, words muffled from the feathers. Then his head jerked up, world spinning with the quick movement. "Noct?" he asked, attention locating the raven in a fraction of a second. "Y-You're here," he breathed out, swinging his leg around to the other side, getting ready to jump out, but he tilted forward dangerously.

"Whoa there," Gladio cut in, stepping between the two of them to steady the blond before he had the chance to topple over. "Easy," he spoke softly, looking the gunner over, taking no time in noticing the injured arm tucked closely to his chest. "Mind if I take a look?" he asked, nodding towards it.

Prompto was reluctant, but eventually he gave the permission to go ahead, wincing when the brute took it gently in his hands. Even with him being as careful as he could, the other involuntarily twitched with the touch. "I...I think it's broken," he whispered, stating the obvious. The shield didn't need to be told to figure that out just from the sight of it.

"Iggy," Gladio called over his shoulder, "you still have a few potions on you, don't you?" There was a small reply and the emersion of another vial, the green contents sloshing inside longingly. Already, the blond could imagine its repairing effects, and he craved that relief, despite how awful he knew it to be..

"This is going to hurt," the shield warned.

"Can't hurt more than it already does," the younger man ground out. "Just do it and get it over with," he almost snapped, the discomfort really starting to make him a little agitated, but he quickly muttered an apology right afterwards. "I-I'm ready though."

Gladio hummed in replied, holding the potion just above where the break was, and quickly, he shattered it over the limb which instantly was coated in a green light. The blond pulled his arm back to him, leaning over it. "Sonuvabitch," he swore tightly, hugging the appendage until the throbs finally ebbed away.

"How's that?" the larger man asked, stepping back to give the other his space.

Promoto gave it a few more seconds to make sure it was done doing its job before he pried it away, breath still coming out in quick pants. Evening those out, he extended it and bent it at the elbow a few times before he smiled to himself, a small laugh leaking out with the pure enjoyment of having usage of it back. "Much better," he replied, letting it drop back down into his lap. "So, uh, what happened?" he asked, looking to each of them. "Up there, I mean. With that sound, what was that?"

The three of them exchanged a glance. "We're not entirely sure," Ignis answered for them. "We never saw it, and we avoided it at all costs; our main priority at the time was getting to you and making sure you were alright."

The blond nodded along. "So, you guys are ok then?" he asked timidly, scanning them all over for any signs of damage, thrilled to come up empty.

"We're fine," Noctis replied with a roll of his eyes. "You have no idea how worried we were though, that was a far fall, and I swear the two of you lucked out," his voice took on a dark edge to it, all of them thinking the same thing, what could have happened in the worst case scenario. "And, you're sure you're alright? Other than the arm," he questioned, brows knit in clear concern.

Prompto nodded, instinctively reaching over to stroke the golden feathers next to him. "Yeah, I'm good. Tired, but good," he shrugged. "And, I'd much prefer if we just got out of here, if you guys don't mind."

"It is getting rather dark," the adviser agreed, glancing towards the darkening sky. "Come on, we should get going and search for a haven for the night." He climbed back onto his own mount, the others doing the same while the gunner repositioned himself on his. "Shall we?"

"Yeah," Prompto answered quickly, for all of them, naturally sticking close to the rest of the group. "Let's go." Once they were on the move again, he leaned down until his face was next to his chocobo's head, and he whispered a soft, "You did good out there buddy, thanks." He gave it another pet on the other side, and it let out a few chirps of delight.

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 **Just as an FYI, I think I may be doing more of these polls in the future. So, follow me on tumblr if you wanna have a say in what comes next. :D**


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